Staff photo / Ed Runyan Donn Hinkle, 76, of Struthers, right, was sentenced to two years in prison for causing a drunken Aug. 27, 2025, crash on state Route 7 in Beaver Township that badly injured the driver of another car. At left is his attorney, Scott Cochran.

YOUNGSTOWN — Donn Hinkle, 76, of Struthers, was sentenced to two years in prison Friday for causing a drunken Aug. 27, 2025, crash on state Route 7 in Beaver Township that badly injured the driver of another car.

He was also sentenced to a three-year driver’s license suspension and fined $1,000.

Hinkle pleaded guilty Friday to aggravated vehicular assault, a third-degree felony, which states that Hinkle caused serious physical harm to the driver of another car as a result of Hinkle driving drunk. Hinkle’s blood alcohol level was 0.198, which is more than twice the legal limit in Ohio to drive of .08.

The two-year prison sentence was jointly recommended by the prosecution and defense, so Hinkle cannot appeal the sentence. He also cannot get out early on judicial release, said Mahoning County Assistant Prosecutor Ralph Rivera.

Rivera said the driver of a car Hinkle struck, Thomas Shipe, “did suffer very serious injuries — a fracture to his left hand, left foot.” Shipe’s most serious injuries were fractures to four vertebrae, Rivera said.

Rivera said Shipe was “bed-ridden for seven months due the serious nature of his injuries. By the grace of God, he did survive, and he was the only one seriously injured.” Rivera said Shipe has a minimal criminal history.

Shipe spoke to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge R. Scott Krichbaum during the hearing, saying he had gone to pick up his 16-year-old daughter at Columbiana High School the day of the crash “to pick up her new car” when the crash occurred.

Shipe said, “I was in bed for seven months, on disability for two. And I probably should have been on disability for six months, but I couldn’t afford it. So I had to work from home in a cast — bad back, bad foot, bad hand for five months. I’m lucky to be alive. That’s all I wanted to state — I am lucky to be alive.”

Shipe said he was hit head-on in his car and agreed that the crash involved Hinkle crossing the center line.

HIGHWAY PATROL REPORT

An Ohio State Highway Patrol crash report states that the crash happened at 3 p.m. when Hinkle traveled south on Route 7 and tried to pass another vehicle by going left of center. His car sideswiped the car he was passing and then struck another car head-on that was approaching him northbound in the northbound lane.

Hinkle’s car spun out and then struck another car, which also was traveling north in the northbound lane, the report states.

Hinkle suffered suspected serious injuries as did Shipe, the report states. The driver of the third vehicle did not suffer any apparent injuries, the report states, nor did the driver of the car Hinkle sideswiped, it states.

After the hearing was over, Shipe said his daughter did not suffer any serious injuries because she was not in the part of the car that was hit the most directly. But she would have been if she had been where he was sitting, he said.

Before sentencing, Hinkle apologized to the people he hurt in the crash, saying “I’ve disgraced my family name and myself.”

In addition to aggravated vehicular assault, Hinkle was indicted on two misdemeanor counts of operating a motor vehicle impaired, but those were eliminated through an amendment to Hinkle’s indictment. But Krichbaum said the two OVI charges “are included, in effect, in the felony to which” Hinkle pleaded guilty.

Krichbaum said Hinkle’s penalty in this case — mandatory prison time — is enhanced because of the drunk driving aspect of the case.

Defense attorney Scott Cochran told Krichbaum that Hinkle “was intoxicated that day. He did try to pass a vehicle, and in the process of doing so did end up striking the victim, which caused a multiple car accident.”

Cochran said Hinkle “has a significant mental health history,” including bipolar disorder and was on medication for that condition, but he went off of his medication, “and was self medicating,” with alcohol. Cochran said Hinkle “made this decision. He made this mistake.” Hinkle had an earlier DUI about 20 years ago, Cochran said.

The alcohol use was recent and that is the reason there were no OVI offenses in recent years, Cochran said.